Author: woodshoplifepodcast

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This episode is sponsored by: Shaper Tools, makers of Shaper Origin

Sean

1)Hey guys,

Thanks for all of the knowledge you guys pass on over this platform, it’s great being able to learn from others more well versed in woodworking than myself, especially when it seems that serious hobbyists are few and far between where I’m at. My question is about shellac, which it seems you guys talk about every  other, if not every, episode. Because I live in California, denatured alcohol cannot be purchased, even through Amazon. I’ve heard of people using Everclear as a substitute for denatured alcohol, but as research shows, everclear looks to be banned in California as well.

What else can I use to dissolve these shellac flaked ?? Thanks again for the sick content, Tyler

2) Before I ask my question, I just wanted to thank you for your feedback on my last project. The advice you gave me about the box I was working on was perfect. Thank you! Hoping to get your input again.

I have about $1,500 to spend on a bandsaw. Resawing is the priority. Bang for the buck is important, but in this case I could be convinced to set aside another couple hundred or so since I think that the “buy once, cry once” approach could be worth it.

If I remember correctly, Guy has a Powermatic, and I remember seeing Sean’s YouTube video about the Hammer. Not sure what Huy has. Regardless, I’m very interested in your thoughts, whether you like what you have, and whether there are other options that I should consider.

Thanks again for a great podcast and for being so generous with your experience. I’m a big fan. Keep them coming! John

Guy

1) What is the most challenging project you’ve ever completed? What made it challenging? How did you approach the problem-solving required to overcome the challenge? Help us listeners get “in your shoes” and learn from your approach to tackling challenges in woodworking by providing a specific example from your experience. Thanks for all the insights you continue to share on the best woodworking podcast in the universe!

From the other side of the wall, Brian Schmidt

2)You all are an inspiration to me and have always given honest legitimate answers to thousands of questions through the years for so many folks. I’d like to know who  was an inspiration to you as you were growing as a craftsman? Especially Guy since he came up in the trade before the internet and social media. Secondary question if you had the chance to meet or learn from one craftsman, who would that be? Brent Jarvis

Huy

1)Kind sirs-

After my last couple of diatribes I’ll endeavor to keep this question brief. My wife is a lovely, patient woman and for Valentine’s Day I would love to make a pair of nightstands she’s been hinting at for a while. Of course, I would have needed to start those two months ago to have any chance at making February 14th. But maybe for next year, with your help.

I’ll be making these out of some walnut scavenged from the power company clearing lines. I took two roughly 18″ long x 24″ diameter logs, and hand-ripped them into rough parts (1″ panels, 2″ leg stock) about 18 months ago with this in mind, they’ve been air-drying since.

My conundrum is that these logs are from BRANCHES – the actual tree, still standing, is about 6′ in diameter. So for nightstands, wanting a roughly 16″ x 22″ top, though my inclination is to use the nicest “slabs,” maybe get a little sap wood in there, my gut tells me that will look nice for a year and then end up like Sean’s cherry table panels, especially because they’re air-dried.  In your esteemed opinions, should I further rip the slabs into dimensional lumber and then glue up panels for construction? Aesthetically, I could probably use some “traditional” furniture, my wife says the house looks like the Keebler elf village already, we have a 14′ long 4″ thick live edge mantle, all maple trim with walnut plugs, and I use interesting off-cuts to trim windows.

That was brief, for me. Thanks Tom

2) Thank you so much for taking the time every two weeks to produce this outstanding podcast, which I have thoroughly enjoyed, and have integrated many of your ideas and tips into building my shop and developing skills as a woodworker.

I am in need of an outfeed table, and also a stable, dead flat assembly surface.  I think that Huy’s “MO/AT” is a terrific solution, but I have a few questions.

I know that the torsion box portion is based on Ron Paulk’s popular workbench, which includes the dog holes (that I really want to utilize for clamps, etc.), and the interior storage space.  Also, the removable hardboard surface, with its reference dowels, is a great idea that requires access inside the box.

However, I have watched torsion box build videos by Guy, Steve Johnson, Marc Spagnolo, and others, and their designs all differ in that they are thinner, and have a much denser array of “honeycomb” grid elements, which suggests to me a greater chance of remaining dead flat.  But of course, they do not allow for meaningful use of dog holes, or interior access.

So I am looking for the best compromise design, one that allows the dog hole array and all of the clamping options, but also has the best longevity for staying flat.  Is there a best height, best grid layout configuration that I can aim for? I’m thinking that between you three engineers, the perfect solution will be forthcoming.

Thank you, and please keep up this very much appreciated podcast! Best, Tom Stanley

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Guy

1)First I want to say fantastic podcast guys.  By far the best woodworking podcast out there.  I recently discovered the podcast and have binge listened to old past episodes while building the cabinets for our new home.

We are building a new home with a shop / garage combo and I finally have the space to buy the tools that I have never had the space to own before.  Next up on my list is a drill press and trying to decide what size to get.  Bench top model vs floor model, size motor, features to look for, etc.  I build furniture and cabinets mostly but like pushing my creative side and making other odd things as well.   I want the best bang for the money but don’t mind spending a little extra to get what will be my lifetime drill press.

Thanks for your help.  Keep up the good work.  Plan to be a long time listener but I didn’t buy a SawStop so I might die soon!  LOL. – Tom

2) My question is regarding learning more about design for my projects. Up to now most of my projects have been based on an existing design or product. I scroll Instagram, Pinterest, furniture store sites and find pieces similar to what I want and duplicate them or mash a few together to make my “own”. I’d like to start developing a design style of my own or pick a lane of design such as Mission or Greene and Greene and focus a little more on that.

Can you recommend any books or authors to give me a better understanding of the popular design periods that speak to the elements, features, woods used and so on for the various periods of design to help pick one?

I’d also be interested in any books that teach elements of a good design like proper proportions, and similar for furniture building so I can design and build a well balanced piece.

There is so much it might be impossible to put it all in a book, but you all offer good insight to us listeners so I’d welcome whatever you have to offer of any recommendations you might have. Thanks all! Mike

Sean

1) Gents – Found your show mid way through a 22-hour drive into Mexico. Listening to you – particularly Guy- reminds me of the people and shops I visited while a board  member of the San Joaquin Fine Woodworking  club in California. Simple, not too fussy advice that is useful for those picking up the woodworking hobby or far into the deep end this avocation. Keep up the good work.

You’ve spent a fair amount of time discussing the likes and dislikes of Waterlox. A recent project was a 42” x 78” patio table from 4/4 and 8/4 sapele. Legs are 5” square steel tube tapered and coped in a McIntosch style. As it would live outdoors, I opted to finish with Waterlox Marine Finish in gloss. Prep: Sand to 220 grit; vacuum and compressed air; wipe down with mineral spirits; apply Waterlox with a Jen foam brush. The first coat  was a disaster with dime size voids in the finish … as if the surface was waxed before the Waterlox went down.  I believe  the cause was the mineral spirits: I applied the finish about a half hour after after the wipe down … something I often do without issue with spar urethane. Subsequent coats went down fine after letting the piece off gas for four days. My thinking is the tung oil interacted with the residual solvent. Thoughts? Thanks – Craig P.S. Mentioned the foam brush brand because I’ve found it to be the only that rivals a high quality bristle brush for brush application

2)Hi guys, thanks for the podcast, really helpful info! Keep hearing your requests for more questions, so here are a few.

You talked a lot about dust extraction recently. I’ve seen people claiming that by replacing the filter bag with a fine cartridge filter people have seen major improvements in the performance of their extractor units. Do you have any experience with these? Thanks for all the time you put in, love listening.

Best wishes – Chris (UK based enthusiastic amateur)

Huy

1)Hi, long time listener that truly appreciates all of the wisdom and humor you have provided over the years in your great podcast.

I have a couple design questions for a sofa and a pair of side tables I am making for my living room.  They are a pretty simple design that uses mortise and tenon joinery for the aprons and legs.  I use my router with a 1/4″ bit to make the mortise, and the table saw with a dado blade to make the tenons.  The legs will be just under 2″ from the thickest material I can get from my 8/4 stock and about 28″ long.  The aprons will be 3/4″thick and 6″ tall, they could be slightly thicker, they will come from 4/4 stock.

I want to try my hand at piston fit drawers instead of using drawer slides.  How would you attach the inner structure that supports the drawers underneath and on the sides inside the table?  I don’t have a domino or biscuit joiner.  I have never had good results with pieces attached with pocket holes staying in place during installation and I am afraid the slight movement will ruin the piston fit. Thank you. Julio

2)Gentlemen-

Congratulations as you near your 100th episode, and well-deserved syndication riches. I’m about to complete my workbench of air dried black locust (top) and white oak (base). I am installing leg and twin screw tail vises. I will need to procure additional lumber for the thick components of both. I thought it might look nice to use some Walnut, but I can only get  12/4 kiln dried. I don’t see a problem with the leg chop, it’s attached with the vise hardware, but would dovetailing a kiln dried tail skirt onto an air dried laminated top would be asking for problems? Thank you for any advice or relevant anecdotes you may have.

Tom

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Sean

1)First off I want say how much I’ve enjoyed listening to your podcast over the past year or more.  With the right balance of instruction and interaction between the hosts, it’s both informative and entertaining.

I’ve been woodworking for quite some time and I ran across something I never experienced before and was hoping you might have some insight.  I’m building a floor lamp with three curved legs as a base.  I made a template for the leg profile out of ¼ inch hardboard.  Using a straight pattern bit on my router table, I was able to easily create three legs out of ¾ plywood for my prototype.  Happy with the design I used the template to trace out the legs on some ¾ walnut.  I then rough cut out the legs on the band saw, leaving a 1/16inch of material outside of the line.  From there it was back to the router table where I attempted to flush cut the legs using the template and straight pattern bit. This gave me no trouble at all when routing the plywood prototype legs, but as soon as I carefully eased the walnut into the bit, it would immediately catch and tear out. I purchased a ¼ inch spiral flush trim bit and also used a starting pin but the results where the same. I continued to get bad catches and tear out no matter how carefully or slowly I went.  In all my years of woodworking, I’ve never run across anything like this. Any ideas on what I could do different? Terry

2) Hi guys and thanks again for making the ULTIMATE (remember that episode?) woodworking podcast,

And by the way, thanks for answering my last question.  I live in Bergen, Norway and a small local timber merchant is selling Beech (I guess it is European beech) and Alder (again European alder I believe) at quite a reasonable price. Here in Norway poplar is not readily available.

Given a choice between the two, which would you choose as a secondary wood (for drawers and parts that won’t be seen)? And if you were to make furniture project wholly out of one of them, which would you choose? And of course, why?

Both are rated as perishable. The beech is quite a lot harder according to the janka scale. 6460N vs. 2890N. The beech is supposedly superb for steam bending, but I have yet to get there in my skill set. And both seem to have quite good workability.

I am not sure I appreciate the ray fleck look or the slightly yellow look on the beech that I have seen, but that may be fixed during finishing if the other attributes make it worth while. I have however, little experience with alder. Looking forward to your discussion on this. Sincerely, Gøran Eliassen Nomad Makes

Guy

1) Hey guys. My question is about pricing your woodworking and getting past imposter syndrome. I have recently started making some items for a group of dog breed enthusiasts and I have experienced a substantial growth in demand for items that fall much more into the “art” category than the “furniture” category. As a hobbyist woodworker,  I do not have a huge portfolio of work that I’ve sold, only a few items here and there. Moving forward, I plan on building into a more substantial business. I obviously want to price my work at what it’s worth, but I can be very self conscious about my skills and tend to undervalue what I’m worth. I obviously want to sell as much as I can, but how do I sell my work at a value that gets its out into the world without setting a low bar price-wise for the future? I am my harshest critic. Joshua

2) Hey Guy(s)! Thankfully this question is not very time sensitive, so hopefully you can get to it before I need to take your answer(s) into consideration.

My wife and I are in the process of redesigning our kitchen that is in need of a serious facelift. We plan on contracting out the plumbing and electrical and fortunately aren’t doing any structural modifications to the house itself.

Our current debate involves the cabinetry. I’m a fairly competent woodworker and love a good challenge. Personally, I’d rather take the money we would pay a cabinet shop to build and install new cabinets and make some needed upgrades and additions to my own workshop to do them myself. I’m not a fan of raised panel designs so I’ll probably do more shaker style cabinets. 

I have a Sawstop contractor saw, 14” bandsaw, 13” planer, basic router table, bench top drill press, and an older model Festool track saw, plus various other hand tools

Considering I expect to save somewhere in the range of $5-10K by doing it myself, what additional tools would you recommend? As specific as you’d like to be would be great if you have machines you’ve been very happy with.

Side note: we had to take down a large white oak in our back yard and I plan to have it milled up and kiln dried to continue its life on our property.

Thanks for your time and your continued insight to help us all become better woodworkers!

Shawn @terpax

Huy

1) Aloha Boys!

 I have a question about managing humidity and rust in the workshop.  I live in Hawaii and have my workshop in a detached garage.  Most buildings here including my workshop have jaulosie style windows and I can’t completely seal and temperature control my shop.

 I am spraying or wiping down my larger tools with T-9  and other rust inhibitors,  but many of my other various tools and equipment are quickly rusting.   

 Outside of temperature controlling a shop, any other tips tricks or ideas? Are silicone gel packs a waste of money?   Would it be crazy to put rubber weather sealing on cabinet doors?  Mahalo boys, you are the best! Matt

2)Hey again, love the podcast and the advice you give. Recently you answered why I suck at hinges, and one reason mentioned was the cheap hardware I often use. This lead me to another thought. When do you buy the hardware for a project? Before you begin, or once it’s all made?

I tend to wait until after the project is made, and unfortunately that also means I sometimes struggle to find hardware that will work. I’ve been known to buy many different sets of hinges to take home and see how they look on a box, or even carried boxes into Rockler to try there.

I’ve also ran into the issue of fit. I recently made a shoe-shine box, and when I planed the lumber, i just ran it through until I thought it looked good. I didn’t measure at all. But when I went to buy hinges, the odd sizing left me with hinges that were either too big and stuck out, or not strong enough for the weight of the lid/shoe support. I ended up with external hinges that I didn’t like, and 3 of them for strength, all because I didn’t plan ahead. My wife likes it, but what does she know about design?  Peter

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Sean

1) Jolly good day Guy, Huy, and Sean. I’ve always found the imperfections in wood like knots, funky grain, and discoloration to be interesting. I have decided to try and start using them more as design aspects in my projects. I am tackling using a knot for the first time and other than “use epoxy” I am at a loss as to what brand, type and tints. There is a myriad of options. Any recommendations on products, methods and tints for an end table top knot in mixed clear/brown yellow birch? As always, thank you for sharing the knowledge! – 

I want to Stabilize mostly, but I have heard that clear epoxy yellows. Should I tint darken to handle that? Daniel Stickman Woodworking

2) Thank you guys for everything you do with the podcast. My question for you is about table top flattening. My current situation is with a 42”x90” dining room table that went a little wonky during the glue up. A couple of the boards came out of alignment with the rest and so now the top is not flat. I know where I messed up and how to prevent this in the future, but I’m wondering what your suggestions would be to flatten a top of this size back to everything being even. I am currently using my router sled to do this and it is very time consuming. Thank you  in advance for you answers. Sincerely, David Glowacki

3)Hey guys.  I love the podcast.  I learn something new from each episode.  Thank you for answering my question and all the hard work you put into your tube and podcast.

I’m currently working very hard to increase my brand recognition to try and make wood working a full time thing.  I know none of you have your own “Full time woodworking gig”. and I feel that is a choice. It seems like you guys could break out full time.  Any advice on how to increase my reach to people to start bringing in more business would be super appreciated. 

Scott Bonin @tomrarwoodworks

Huy

1) Thank you for the great podcast!  I listen to it all the time and get so much out of it! 

I just recieved a free delta unisaw with sliding table.  Two question on this table saw:

1: This saw does not have a riving/splitter.  Thoughts on adding one??

2: I want to rebuild my shop around this saw.  Right now my table simply butts to my work bench which is also my out feed table. I would like to attach the bench/outfeed table to the saw but the floor is not level.  (garages shop). Would you build to level?  ie, level the saw and build everything to that plane or build to square with the floor. 

Great pod cast! Great people!  GREATEST INFO! Scott

2) Hi folks – I am moving in the next year, and am hopeful that I can sell many of my current stationary tools and move up to some used industrial-scale equipment. However, I have never purchased equipment that I couldn’t transport myself or simply have dropped off with lift gate service. I am interested to hear any advice regarding the transportation of large tools back to the shop after winning them at auction far from home (for example). I love my Toyota Tacoma but I’d be limited to picking up one tool at a time, which would be a real scheduling nightmare. Does one hire riggers to load a truck, have the truck driven to one’s own place, and hire riggers to get the stuff off the truck? I don’t have a forklift or anything like that (yet), and as much as I would love to I would rather direct my funds at tools vs material handling equipment. I am simply an enthusiastic amateur looking to get into large equipment for both the fun and the machines’ capacity. Andrew

3) The amount of information you all have given to the community has helped out so many folks and I’d like to say thank you for your knowledge and dedication.

My question is in the concerns of a L fence. I have been hearing about them lately and would like to know if any of you have used one. From what I have seen and understand is it increases the safety of making certain cuts. Could you help us understand what an L fence is and if it’s worth making.

Again, thank you all for the information you have given to us all.

Brent Jarvis Clean Cut Woodworking

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Sean

1) Hey Guy,Huy,& Sean.  I just picked up a pair of Mitutoyo calipers.  I use a straight edge and feeler gauges to set up machines like my jointer.  Do you guys use precise tools like calipers,feeler gauges, and straight edges.  when your building furniture, it seems like they could be really useful.   All 3 of you have that engineering type of brain. (Huy being an actual engineer).  If you do use them in your furniture.  What do you use them for?  Or are tools like calipers overkill for woodworking. Cheers, Nate

2) When you bring a new tool into the shop do you find yourself using that tool as an excuse to rearrange your shop, even if it’s an upgrade from a tool you already have?

I’ve found myself rearranging my entire workflow every time I introduce a new tool even if the one I’m upgrading one that’s been in a certain spot for years.

I hope all has been well with you and your families. Please continue with the fantastic content! Thank you for your time. Brent Jarvis Clean Cut Woodworking

Huy

1) Hey my name is Mike from odd materials woodworks I have been really enjoying your podcast.

I have been following all three of you for a while.

Anyways in listening to some of your past podcasts you have discussed the mft with the flip up arm and how you don’t use it anymore.You just use a set of dog with the rail clip which I have been thinking of switching to. My question is how would you approach making repeatable cuts on an MFT style table? Thanks again Mike

2)What is your method for fixing drift when re-sawing with a fence on your bandsaw? Michael

Guy

1)Hi Guys, love the show and the chemistry between you guys, I’m fairly new in the woodworking world with previous experience as a finisher, now I moved to making my own furniture line. I have three questions for you guys:
1- Any tips for crosscutting plywood?
2- How do you guys keep the shop organized with the leftovers of material?
3- If budget weren’t an issue what would you buy first a Festool Track Saw or a Sawstop Cabinet Saw?? (I mostly work with sheets of plywood) Thank you and keep up the good work, Karel
 

2) Hope this is a quick one for ya – I’m stumped on something and it’s making me crazy.  I’m making cutting boards, I’ve got about 10 under my belt at this point.  Most of my quality priorities are improving nicely with time and experience but I have a problem with finishing; specifically grain that raises on my finished product shortly after the board gets put into use. 

For context I’m talking about edge grain boards.  I get a great glue-up, scrape them down, finish plane, then onto sanding.  I take it to 180 all around, then I raise the grain.  I take that down with 220, then I raise it again.  I really thought that raising the grain twice, incrementally, would give me an extra level of redundancy against surface issues moving forward.  I finish with 320, then go with a generous treatment of mineral oil followed by the 4-1 oil/beeswax routine. 

The “fuzziness” isn’t across the entire board, but there’s enough of it there to both mystify and frustrate me.  I really put a lot of work into these and I’m trying to get the highest quality that I can achieve.  Everyone expects a board to need care, but my gut says that sandpaper shouldn’t be involved.

What am I overlooking here?  Any assistance will be greatly appreciated; love the show, keep up the great work.  collin